When Loss is Gain
by mynameiz
Summary: Laxus loses his power - the most important thing to him. When he hits rock bottom the barmaid Mirajane helps him get back on his feet. A slow burning Laxus x Mirajane fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer #1: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Disclaimer #2: The art for my title pic is done by jxlight (tumblr)**

* * *

 **AU - Set just before the series starts, maybe a few weeks before Lucy arrives at Fairy Tail.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The fall of the Lightning Dragon**

He woke to the smell of a woman, and the activities of a night between the sheets. The aromas leave no impression on the man, despite his sense of smell being extraordinary thanks to his magic abilities. Realising he needs to get going, he displaces the young, white-haired beauty from on top of his body to the bed space next to him.

The man quickly showers and gets dressed to leave. He glances at the woman once more, and reaches into his coat to pull out a golden rose – a 24 karat gold flower, and not much smaller than a real rose. He thinks to place it next to her, but decides to wake her up.

"Crystal… or Christine"

He reaches back into his coat to pull out a small blue book. He opens the book and flips through the pages.

The man mumbles quietly to himself. "C, C, C, ah C. Crystal where are you… no Crystal. Ah Crista. White hair, married to some wealthy so and so, from Melena. This is the one".

He shoves the lady.

"Oi Crista" he says

The naked woman awakes, pushing her white bangs from her face to set sights on the large, blonde haired man she'd fallen into bed with.

"Mmm, good morning" she hums, anticipating some more fun.

"Look, I gotta go. I'll contact you next time I'm in the area"

She wakes up properly, "ah, okay. Is there anything I can get for you before you go?"

"No I'm fine". He hands her the flower, "here, this is for you"

The woman's eyes glow with delight. She's a wealthy lady and is used to flashy trinkets but even her eyes are taken hostage by the flower; which she can tell is masterfully crafted.

"Oh my, this is amazing" she gasps and hugs the man.

He doesn't move to reciprocate her actions, instead he smirks wickedly. To him this is all a game that he wins recurrently, and flawlessly.

The second she pulls back from the embrace he stands, "I'm off"

"Okay. I'll be awaiting your call, Laxus Dreyar"

Laxus calmly walks out of the room, and quickly de-materialises into lightning to get back to Magnolia.

* * *

Washing the dishes is one of the daily chores for Mirajane Strauss. The young white-haired woman with the front-upward pony-tail wipes down the last plate and places it on the rack to dry, humming a playful tune to lighten up her day.

She picks up a small towel to wipe the moisture from her skin, padding her forehead, chest and arms. She quickly looks into the small mirror at the anterior of the kitchen. She flicks around with her hair and straightens her dress which was a little ruffled from her chores. The barmaid, cook, S-class wizard and famous pin up model twirls around joyously in the empty spaces in the kitchen, excited about another day serving the guild.

Her nose twitches, alarming her of the food she has prepared in the ovens. She takes out the two roasted turkeys, checking if they've cooked through with a thermo-lacrima. She places them on the bench to cool, smiling at the birds that will soon fill the stomachs of her friends in her guild, Fairy Tail.

A commanding voice brings her from the kitchen, "Hey Mira!"

The young lady walks out to the bar to see Laxus Dreyar, and his team the Raijinshuu – Freed, Bixlow and Evergreen.

"Hi guys! How can I help you today" asks the animated woman.

"Jobs. These ones, they've specifically requested us" Laxus says, slamming down two job fliers. The first is a surveillance job, which requests the Raijinshuu and their talents. The second is a protection job against lightning mages, suitable for Laxus.

"Oh, yes. Master said they were fine but we're awaiting a second opinion"

"From whom?"

"The Council"

"Hmph, don't have the time to wait"

"But Laxus, Master said –"

"I don't care what he said" Laxus seethes. To him the guild is becoming weak, useless. To Laxus it is Master, which is his grandfather and a famous wizard in Fiore that is the source of not only the weakness in the guild, but also the anger that boils within him.

He believes the guild has regressed to the point that drastic action is required. When he gets back from his job he will tell his team of his plot to assume control of Fairy Tail, which he is certain they will support.

"Uh, well, please exercise caution with those jobs" advises Mira.

The four wizards turn, dismissing the barmaid.

"Oh wait guys! I just took some turkeys out of the oven, and I made rolls this morning. Turkey rolls! You guys will need some food before your journey!" Mira cheerfully offers, beaming her signature smile.

"Huh! Keep your stupid rolls. We've got actual work to do" Laxus remarks arrogantly, causing Mira to lower her head.

A few murmurs around the guild rile Laxus, who glares distastefully at the group of 'weaklings'. Laxus and his team leave the guild, taking the tension and apprehension with them.

Mira lifts her spirits, as she always does, by thinking of her guild mates. "Hey guys! Who wants some turkey rolls for lunch?" she announces to those who are in the hall.

"Me" "Yes please!" "I'll have two!"

Mira chuckles to herself. No matter how down she feels she has a whole lotta friends who can pick her back up. The young beauty heads back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

* * *

Laxus and the Raijinshuu parted in Magnolia, heading separate ways for their jobs.

The protection job is in Clover Town, with the first instruction being to meet the client in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. Laxus finds the house, several miles from the thoroughfare of Clover Town. Laxus checks the area for any danger before heading to the front door of the home.

He knocks twice for no answer, but notices that the door is ajar. Cautiously he enters the cottage.

The first room is large, most likely the lounge room of the house, but there is no furniture. He shrouds his hand in lightning magic to illuminate the room.

"Hello? Is anyone there? This is Laxus Dreyar. I'm here for the job"

After getting no response, Laxus decides to walk further into the room. He heightens his senses, but detects nothing. Even his nose fails at picking up a scent. The absence of anything is alarming, so he readies his magic power.

Moving further into the deceptively large home, he reaches another dark, empty room. On the floor, in the middle of the room is a sparkling piece of metal. Laxus walks closer to it, and as he draws nearer he recognises the object. Bending down, he picks up a large golden rose up from the floor. He twirls it with his thumb and index finger for no particular reason, thinking about all reasons for it to be here.

"Okay. So which one of –"

He's cut off by the appearance of a red magic circle at his feet. Laxus reacts raising his own magic power, causing lightning flashes to scatter chaotically around the room. Before he can destroy the cottage with his lightning 4 more red magic circles appear on each of the 4 walls in the room, and another larger magic circle lingers on the ceiling above him.

*Thud*

Laxus hits the ground instantly after seeing the 6th magic circle. He is completely immobilised. He tries moving his hand, arm, foot, head – none of them respond. Frustrated, he tries to summon some magic power but nothing happens.

A pain begins to emanate from his head, gradually building in intensity. The pain reaches intolerable levels, however there is nothing he can do, he can't move around, touch his head or even yell in discomfort. The only thing he has is his mind and sight.

Staring ahead, in the position he fell in, he can only just make out from the random shining that the golden rose lies inches in front of his face. His eyes begin to weaken and his vision blurs, and before the darkness takes his sight a last shimmer of gold sparkles before him. His sight is gone but his mind still churns; who set him up?

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks for reading. This fic will be around 10 chapters or so.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer #1: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Disclaimer #2: The art for my title pic is done by jxlight (tumblr)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Diagnosis**

Laxus was retrieved from the cottage in Clover Town by his team mates who searched for him after Laxus failed to meet at their rendezvous point. The Raijinshuu were traumatised by the sight of a near-lifeless Laxus splayed out on the floor. Freed conducted a thorough investigation of the premises, while Bixlow and Evergreen rushed Laxus back to Fairy Tail.

Laxus wakes up, 2 days later.

His eyelids shudder as he tries to open them. He can hear distant rumblings in the guild; chatter and laughter. The faint smell of alcohol and cooked food hits his nostrils. These senses, however, seem reduced from their usual capacity.

Recounting his last memories before he passed out, Laxus attempts to move his arm, which much to his relief, moves exactly as intended. He lifts his left leg, and then his right, and drops them both down to the mattress abruptly. For a brief moment he contemplates whether the events in Clover Town were nothing more than a bad dream. But, he was in the infirmary.

Laxus then tests his magic; confidently raising his fist at the ceiling he summons his power. But nothing happens. He grunts before trying his magic once more, but again, nothing.

Baffled by the apparent loss of his magic he slams his fist down on the bed in frustration. Then some of the answers to his circumstances walk through the door.

"L-Laxus-sama! You're awake!" Freed exclaims, walking in alone to take the seat next to Laxus bed.

Laxus just continues to stare at the ceiling, for him a friendly visit has no meaning, all we wants is his magic returned.

"Laxus… what happened at that cottage?"

The blonde doesn't respond.

"Laxus, your magic, does it –"

"Freed. Tell me everything you know" Laxus finally speaks.

Freed sighs, and proceeds to do as his leader told him.

The green haired man starts with the cottage, where he was able to identify several runes within the walls of the house – all aimed to block the senses such as smell, hearing and detection of magic power. In the room where Laxus fell, 6 runes were found different to the others – one on the floor, each wall and the ceiling. These runes contained the script of a sealing spell, which, when activated, seal the power of a particular magic item. In Laxus' case it was his Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima.

The sealing of the Lacrima has somehow rendered Laxus completely devoid of magic power. The Lacrima itself could become unstable, and if it reaches a critical point, it could shatter meaning Laxus may never be able to use magic again.

"There was also a golden rose found near you, Laxus. Do you have any idea what that means?"

Laxus thought fleetingly about telling Freed the meaning of the rose, but concludes that it's better to keep it secret.

"It's nothing. I picked it up in town from a jeweller for cheap. I just had it with me and must have dropped it".

"I see. Well that's another dead end"

"Hmm"

"Is he awake now?" Porlyusica asks, walking into the infirmary in her usual cranky mood.

"He is Miss Porlyusica. Can I be of any help?"

"No, just stay quiet and don't cause any trouble" the old woman snaps. She walks over to Laxus, and examines his physical state before speaking once again. "You in pain?"

"No" Laxus grunts.

"What about before you passed out?"

"Yea, pain in my head"

"Thought so. Your Lacrima expanded, putting pressure on you brain. The Lacrima has since returned to its normal size, but because it still isn't stable, you will be bedridden for a few weeks. Move around and you could break it, and you'll never use magic again"

"When will it return?"

"When the seal breaks" Freed intervenes. "Breaking the seal is a different matter altogether. Only the spell caster knows"

Laxus thinks about all the women he gave a rose to. It angers him, that such feeble people could do this – to him. The only people to know about his Dragon Slayer Lacrima are his team and his grandfather… and also his father, Ivan Dreyar. Laxus concludes that his old man has some involvement, along with one woman. When he can get out of this bed, he will search for them, he _will_ get his magic back.

Mirajane enters the infirmary jubilantly, "I've brought Laxus' lunch".

"Oi, brat, you and I can leave now and let the fool eat" Porlyusica tells Freed, who obeys promptly.

Laxus pays little to no attention to the pin up girl. Her frolicking over to his bedside would make most men melt, but he wasn't affected in any way – to him female charm is nothing. Women are nothing.

Or that's what he'd lead anyone to believe. He mistreats women, manipulates them for his own pleasure or purpose, but at his very core he regrets his actions at times.

"Here you go Laxus" Mira smiles, placing a plate of food on a tray for Laxus. Battered sea bass, chips and salad, as well as some of Mira's seafood sauce. The little white haired lady smiles at the blonde, "I hope you like it"

Laxus might not care at all for her cheer or her kindness, but he is hungry. He picks up the knife and fork and starts to cut into the fish.

"It's good" mutters Laxus. The fish is soft and sweet, the chips are crunchy, and even the salad is uncharacteristically tasty. The sauce simply compliments everything on the plate. Overall he is satisfied with the meal. Within a few minutes he's finished.

"Would you like some more?"

"No, that was enough"

"Okay" Mira replies, taking his plate and cutlery, swapping him for a glass of iced tea. "Here, drink this too".

Laxus downs the beverage in one go, and hands back the glass. He then lies down, looking back at the ceiling with a blank expression.

The barmaid wanted to talk with Laxus about many things, mainly to distract him from the inner turmoil he must be going through; but she holds her tongue and decides to leave him be.

"Okay Laxus. I'll be back for your dinner" she states cordially.

He doesn't reply, so she leaves and heads back to the kitchen. Mirajane knows a thing or two about loss. Her sister, Lisanna, died horrifically during a mission. It was the most traumatic experience of her life – so much so that she can barely use magic anymore.

It is for this reason that Mira thinks she can relate to Laxus, and help him through a transition in his life. Magic loss is not something you can cure with a spell or a remedy – she's tried everything. Laxus is the kind of arrogant guy who will think he can get his magic back because _he's_ Laxus Dreyar. And when he realises that having his magic returned is something out of his control he will be in a much worse state than he is now, just like she was.

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks for reading! The chapter sizes 'should' increase henceforth.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer #1: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Disclaimer #2: The art for my title pic is done by jxlight (tumblr)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Laxus' anger**

"Hey Mira, can we get 2 beers please?"

"Sure Wakaba. You and Max both having pale ales?"

"Yes please Mirajane"

"Coming right up"

Mira puts two cold mugs of golden liquid in front of Max and Wakaba.

"Say, where's Macao? He's usually at the bar if you guys are"

"He's off on a Vulcan job. Master approved it while you were out this morning" says Wakaba before taking a long draw of his cigar.

"Well that explains it. I hope he is okay, Vulcans can be a pain"

"You worrying about Macao?" Wakaba complains.

"Of course, I worry about everyone on their missions. But he should be fine, right?"

"Yea. I don't think it'll be hard. I'd have no problem with it" Wakaba gloats.

Mira's mind suddenly remembers dinner. "Oh shoot! I've gotta finish cooking!" Mira takes off, leaving the two men waving her goodbye.

* * *

Mirajane sings as she prepares the food for the night's meals. Many of the members don't cook at home so Mira makes sure there is enough food for everyone, which sometimes can be hard to manage.

To make things easier for herself she only has 2 options for main meals on the lunch and dinner menu, which she changes every day to allow for variety. No one has complained, so it must be working she assumes.

Tonight, and for every meal for the next few weeks, Mira will prepare one extra plate for Laxus. Spaghetti Bolognese is on the menu, along with grilled chicken and vegetables. She'll go with the spaghetti; it's a fairly neutral dish. She plates a sizeable portion of the pasta and sprinkles parmesan cheese over the food. The centrefold model fetches a fork, some serviettes and a mug of beer and places everything on a tray to take up stairs.

Before she departs there is a knock at the kitchen entrance.

"Hello Mira"

"Master! Good evening"

Makarov looks at the tray of food and then back to the young barmaid, "Is the food for Laxus?"

"Yes, Master"

"I see. Thank you for doing this for him"

"It's my pleasure. He's a guild mate, we must help our friends out in times of need"

"Yes, Mira, you're a good child. But Laxus is… hard to deal with" Makarov says expressing concern. "He's not just going through a bad time with the loss of his magic, he's been troubled for a while now. I don't know what's bothering him, he won't talk to me"

"I'm sure Laxus wants to talk, but he can be awkward at times. Maybe… maybe you could take this food up to him, and see how he is doing" Mira offers in an attempt to provide a 'reason' for Master Makarov to see Laxus.

"I don't think that would be a good idea Mirajane, but thank you. And your food as always smells fantastic"

Mira giggles spiritedly, "thank you Master"

"I'll leave you to it then Mira, see you later" Makarov says as he leaves the kitchen, a little blushed from Mira's cuteness.

Mira looks down at the tray of food, hoping it hasn't gone cold. She pumps her fist – _I will do my best for Laxus and Master_ – she chants inwardly. She picks up the dinner and heads to the infirmary.

* * *

Meanwhile Laxus is fresh from a shower, which he has been given permission to take. It was annoying that an old woman who knew a little about health could tell him whether he can or cannot take a shower.

It certainly was boring to be confined to a bed, and this was only day one for Laxus. It gave him a lot of time to think over the events in Clover Town. A golden rose. _Who could it have been?_

After lunch he had Freed return him his fur coat. His little blue book was still inside. It was a book for contacts. A blue leather cover encased 53 pages; page 1 for the owners details which Laxus had left blank, and the other 52 pages were for contacts from A to Z, one letter for 2 pages.

There were 35 names inside that book. All female. The first letter of a woman's given name was used for the listings, as he would often not bother with surnames. He'd note a few details that could help him discriminate one woman from another. 14 of these women had asterisks next to them, which meant they'd been given a rose. He'd actually given 15 out; he just hadn't made the note next to Crista's name yet.

So at least one of these 15 women had something to do with his magic problem. There's also his father. Laxus reasons that he should deal with his father first. At least finding his father won't be too hard. Then, with his magic back, he can revisit his plans to take over Fairy Tail.

Two knocks on the infirmary door alerts Laxus.

"Hey it's Mira, I'm coming in" the joyful woman announces before walking in. "Here's dinner. I hope it's good!" She smiles down at the heavily muscled man.

Laxus picks up his fork and twirls some of pasta into it, and takes in a mouthful. Again Mira's food is above par. "It's good".

"I'm glad!" she cheers animatedly.

Laxus doesn't mind her antics, though he wasn't a fan neither. Sometimes with Mira he can't tell if she's being sincerely happy or if it's all an act. She used to be quite different when Lisanna was alive, when she was truly the demon Mirajane. He twirls some more pasta and continues to eat.

Mira takes a seat and begins to talk about her day. "The fish you ate for lunch was caught by Happy and I. We went early in the morning, at sunrise. He wanted some fish so we went to Pilot's Point to fish off the rocks. It was like there was a reef there or something, every time we cast we got a fish! Our haul was 28!"

"28 is a lot. But there is no reef there" Laxus says flatly, but without seeming disinterested.

"Really?"

"Yea, the reefs are further out, you go by boat"

"Ah. I didn't know that. We must have hit a school of fish or something"

"Yea, maybe"

"Do you like fishing?"

"Sometimes. It's nice to fish, and relax. It's quiet"

Mira smiles, happy that Laxus is conversing with her. She knows that there are topics Laxus will be sensitive too – like anything to do with the Clover Town incident, or recovering his magic… so she's sticking to random things like fishing.

When Mira was depressed after Lisanna died Erza was the only one who didn't make her feel uncomfortable. Everyone else would come to her and ask how she's feeling or similar – and while they meant well it just made her feel more miserable. But when the red haired knight entered the room she never talked about Mira's condition; Erza would keep a positive demeanour and talk about the relationships in the guild or other wizards that they know. Eventually Mira became obsessed with romances around her, even going as far as hooking people up. It helped her get out of her depression, and when Master Makarov insisted she become a barmaid part of the reason Mira accepted was because she would have a good vantage point in the guild to observe love blossom around her.

Mira wants to do something similar for Laxus. Well, maybe not turn him into a romantic, but at the very least give him an outlet like Erza did for her.

Laxus finishes up his meal, chugging his beer down again in one go.

"You don't like taking sips do you?" Mira asks.

"Not for cold drinks"

"Do you prefer hot drinks? Like coffee or tea?"

"Tea, in the morning. The cold drinks you've brought are fine"

"I'll keep that in mind" Mira beams.

Laxus lies back down, and returns to deep thoughts. Mira takes this as her cue to leave, and gets up from her chair to take the tray from him.

"I'll see you in the morning, Laxus"

Laxus nods indifferently.

* * *

Over the next 2 weeks it was more of the same. Mira would bring a meal and talk to Laxus while he ate. She'd talk about things like…

" _Laxus have you ever listened to the rock band Gravity? You haven't? They're pretty popular right now, but I don't really like them. Anyway the girls go crazy for the lead singer, his name is Ramon. But I bring this up coz Cana hooked up with him when the band came to town last week. And you know how Cana is a little spunky right? Well this Ramon guy has become infatuated with her! He sent a bouquet of flowers to her, but she wrote back and said she only accepts booze for presents, so he sent a dozen barrels of liquor the following day! And Cana isn't even that into him! But she'll keep him on a leash for the booze she reckons"_

Or…

" _I tried doing weights for the first time in ages the other day. I can only bench 20 kilos which seems low? Yea I thought so. I really need to improve my strength. My aerobic capacity is good though, so I don't need to worry about stamina. What do you think I should focus on? Core strength, and a bit of arm and leg strength you say? Okay, I'll take your word for it, you're muscly after all"_

And…

" _We have a new girl in the guild, her name is Lucy Heartfilia. She's cute and nice to talk to. I can tell she really likes it at Fairy Tail. I think she'd be the perfect girlfriend for Natsu, maybe even too good for him. If not Natsu, then maybe Gray. I think Loke might have a thing for her too, usually he is all over pretty girls but he blatantly avoids Lucy"_

* * *

Laxus had gotten used to Mira go on about little things, and in a way he appreciated it. It was different to his team mates, or his grandfather, or anyone else for that matter. They were all concerned for him, and he took that as pity. Mira's talks were like a refreshing breeze that would sweep through and take his mind off things. He wouldn't have to control himself from becoming frustrated with all the advice everyone would heap onto him. He hated advice... he always assumes that what he thinks is the best way.

Then after 2 weeks of being held captive in the Fairy Tail infirmary Laxus was told he could leave the following day. His Lacrima is now stable.

Two knocks at the door as usual precede the entrance of Mirajane Strauss. It's steak tonight, one of Laxus favourite meals. He gobbles it up and downs the ale all too fast for Mira to open dialogue.

She takes the tray, and begins to walk out but stops, and puts the tray down on the table near the infirmary door.

"Laxus, can I speak to you for a moment" Mira asks, nervously, knowing that her topic of conversation is going to be uncomfortable for Laxus.

Laxus doesn't like where this is heading, but casually returns, "yea".

Mira sits again, and looks at Laxus, "have you thought about what you will do… if you cannot be a wizard? There are things you can do, until you get your magic back. You will need to fill in the time somehow, right?"

Laxus doesn't reply, he feels betrayed by Mira in a way. For two weeks she's done nothing but yap about miscellaneous events that have nothing to do with him, so why is she now starting a life counsel session? He feels angry that she could be manipulating him.

"I know Laxus that it's hard to think about not being a wizard. Like you I cannot use my magic like I once could. I am only S-Class by title. But the guild helped me through my tough times, and they can help you too. And I will definitely help you, Laxus" Mira declares, feeling a little vulnerable.

"You think were alike?" Laxus replies, and then snickers spitefully – retaliating for the first time since he's been in the infirmary.

Mira's eyes widen, as she observes Laxus' idle character move to a more evil one.

"You and me alike? No, we're nothing alike. I'm not some useless barmaid"

"Laxus! I'm just trying to –"

"Help? Don't make me laugh. What could you do? Someone so weak"

Mira clenches her fists. Her beautiful facial features scrunch up as she scolds Laxus. "I'm not weak! Or useless! You just need to accept you can't use magic for now! Strength is not about magic power, it's about the power of your heart!"

Laxus looks at Mira blankly, and then erupts with evil laughter.

Mira looks at the blonde man, tears stinging her eyes, and she wonders how someone like Laxus can be a member of Fairy Tail. She grits her teeth, seething with anger, "I have nothing more to say to you Laxus Dreyar".

The usually merry barmaid turns from Laxus and heads to the door.

"Haha, well I have something to say to you"

Mira pauses, deciding to hear the blonde out.

"Strength is in your heart right? That sounds like something a loser would say. A loser who needs shitty platitudes to make them feel better about themselves"

The clenching of Mira's fists tighten, and she does her best not to let a tear fall from her eyes; he doesn't deserve them.

"You know what I've heard in my travels? That this guild is weak. We're a joke in all of Fiore. And it's because of these weaklings we have running around here, thinking that power lies in friendship. What a crock of shit" Laxus berates, getting louder as he goes on.

Mira, fed up with Laxus' tirade opens her mouth to launch one of her own, but is cut off by the continuation of his rant.

"And it doesn't get any worse than you, demon Mirajane. No wait that's not right. Useless. Barmaid. Mirajane. You're no demon!"

A lone tear spills down the cheek of the woman, her anger dissipating as hurt fills her.

"You're the most pitiful in this guild, more than any of those losers downstairs with no ambition. You were feared in this country once, now you take drink orders and dish up food. It's pathetic! And it's all because you can't get over your dead sister!"

Mira starts to shake, and sobs. Her once stinging eyes now overflow with tears. "Please, Laxus, stop" she begs, her heart shattering into pieces.

"Don't dare compare us, Mirajane. My magic is sealed by magic. Yours, ha, yours is there for the taking, you're just too weak to do so. Everyone dies, so get over it!"

Mirajane sobs into her hands. Her body is trembling under the weight of her sorrow, she hasn't felt like this since Lisanna passed away. Her cries are totally silent, her throat is too heavy to make a sound. She hyperventilates from the lack of control she has over her breathing. A wave of grief overcomes her as she revisits the loss of her sister, and she sinks to the floor as she recalls trying to mend the wounds of her lifeless, youngest sibling. The chirpy and elegant barmaid is as far from her usual self as possible, she is now a total wreck. Mirajane is broken.

Laxus looks at her, and as his anger subsides he feels a tinge of remorse for what he has just done; the first time he's felt remorse in any capacity for quite some time. He lies back into his bed, trying to block out the soft whimpers Mira makes as she breaks down. He feels guilt; he took all his anger out on Mirajane, who had been good to him over the last fortnight. But what's done is done, and he can't turn back now. _I'm leaving this guild tomorrow_.

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks for reading. Felt bad for doing that to Mira. I hope that no one is put off by the lack of romance yet, it will start slow (and there'll be no Laxus/Mira scenes together next ch). I'll probably edit the summary, but I am not good at those. Thanks, mynameiz.**

 **Canon vs fic timeline - The current time in this fic (ch3) is just after Lucy arrives at FT. I will update this henceforth to avoid confusion, and I will put it at the end of the chapter like this.**


	4. Chapter 4 and 5

**Disclaimer #1: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Disclaimer #2: The art for my title pic is done by jxlight (tumblr)**

* * *

 **A/N - This is chapter 4 and 5**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Laxus' suffering**

"Has anyone seen Mira this morning?" Erza asks openly in the middle of the guild hall, concerned that she hasn't seen the vibrant barmaid out and about.

"Nah I haven't. I think she left early last night too" says Gray.

The barmaid's large brother sluggishly walks over to Erza. "Nee-san is at home resting, she is a bit… down at the moment" Elfman informs dejectedly.

"What's bothering Mira?"

"I think… look it's nothing. She'll be away from the guild for a few days, I've told Master"

"That's no good. Would it be alright if I visit her?"

"Sure Erza. She might like that"

Erza smiles, and inwardly plans to take a strawberry cake over to Mira for lunch.

It wasn't the same in the guild without Mirajane. She'd be there to welcome people with her warm smile, talk with everyone while she is working, and then at the end of the night when people would leave she would wish them good night and a 'see you tomorrow'. The mentioning of Mira being 'down' made everyone else feel 'down' too.

In the commotion surrounding Mira, Laxus uses this as an opportunity to leave through the back doors of the guild without the prying eyes of others. He feels a pinch of guilt as he hears the concern for Mira.

He didn't want to do that to her, he spent a good deal of the night thinking about whether he should apologise or not. He also spent some time writing a note for the Raijinshuu… in the end it took him an hour to write _Guys, I am leaving the Guild. Do not search for me. Wait for me to find you. Laxus_.

His anger at his situation drives Laxus now. The last few weeks have been a nightmare. He believes that there will be a time, when his magic has returned, that he will look back at this experience and laugh at everyone who pitied him. There's a lot on the line; his power, being the Master of Fairy Tail, his legacy. _I will take it all back!_ – he rallies within himself as he walks along the road out of Magnolia, and doesn't look back.

* * *

Erza has picked up a delicious strawberry cake from the bakery and makes her way to Mirajane's house. The red-haired warrior babe has requipped out of her standard armour thinking the cold metal won't feel nice to Mira when they hug; so she's wearing a nice light blue dress and brown sandals.

Erza knocks on the door of the Strauss home. No answer, so she knocks again. The female knights puts her ear to the door but doesn't hear a thing.

"Mira? It's me, Erza"

Erza knocks a little louder this time. And again, nothing.

"Mira? I am coming in, okay"

She opens the front door and enters the small Strauss residence. Erza walks to the dining room and puts the cake on the table. The silence in the home momentarily worries her, so Titania calls out for her friend. "Mira?"

A soft voice echoes, "Yes?"

Erza is relieved, and she makes her way to Mira's bedroom.

"Hey Mira" Erza greets in a warm, motherly tone. Mira is lying down on her bed, hugging a pillow. Her eyes are swollen from tears and the attempts to rub them away. Erza feels a crack in her heart as she looks at a dishevelled Mirajane, and the red-haired women instinctively climbs into bed with the barmaid to comfort her.

"Hi Erza"

"What's upset you Mirajane?" Erza asks as she moves the pillow from Mira's grasp so she can cuddle her friend.

"It's nothing"

"Mira. It can't be nothing"

"I just… I miss Lisanna"

"Oh Mira" Erza sighs as she squeezes her friendly tightly. "I'm here for you, okay"

"Thanks Erza" Mira returns, speaking into the shoulder of the knight. She sobs a little in Erza's embrace as she recalls the blonde mans' tirade, and the harshness of his voice. Mira has tried to shake the memory of the night before, but each time Laxus' loud insults and the visions of her lifeless sister leap to the forefront of her mind, sending Mira into further despair. She hopes these dark feelings don't linger for too long, and she confides these feelings and the events of the night before with her closest friend.

* * *

 _ **3 weeks later**_

It took a long time for Laxus to find Ivan's guild, Raven Tail. The dark guild has re-located from its first site, which was not too far from Magnolia. After paying off a few underground guilds he eventually got the location for Raven Tail.

The guild hall – if you could call it that – had the appearance of an old castle that had been left unattended for centuries. The surrounding landscape was no different – a dry, desolate wasteland. Laxus scoffs at everything in an arrogant way, wondering how his father can lay claim to being powerful if this is the pitiful existence he lives.

Laxus walks through the main entrance as if he owns the place. Several suspicious looking characters observe the large blonde as he struts through the concourse of the guild, but they leave Laxus alone, possibly they know he is Ivan's son. He hasn't been here before, so he is basically walking around on instinct. One room stands out from the others; this much was noticeable from the outside. Laxus guesses correctly that his father is in this room. Without knocking he enters.

"My, my, if it isn't Laxus-chan" Ivan welcomes roguishly.

"Hello, father" Laxus says, using a lot of willpower to say father to Ivan.

"Hmmm. I had a feeling you'd come here boy"

"So you did have something to do with it?" Laxus accuses.

Ivan smirks, "what is _it_?"

"You know"

"Ha ha ha ha" Ivan laughs evilly. "Having some magic trouble my child?"

Laxus bites back a snapping response. He pauses to look sternly at the Raven Tail leader. "I want it back"

"Why of course you do"

"Now!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Boy you are in no position to tell me anything. What can you offer me?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think I am going to help you because I fathered you? Don't make me laugh Laxus. You turned your back on me once, and decided to stay with that useless old man and that pathetic guild. My help will not be free"

"Well then what is it that you want from me?" Laxus asks, trying his best not to sound arrogant, but he couldn't live with himself if he had to beg.

"I want some information. Have you heard of Lumen Histoire?"

"No"

"Well then, go and dig up some information from the guild for me. If you give me solid information, then I promise to restore your magic"

"How can I trust you?"

"Do you have a choice?"

Laxus pondered that point for a moment. He really didn't have a leg to stand on. But Ivan is not someone you can trust, blackmail and deceit are like breathing to him. "I will need some reassurance. How would you give me my magic back?"

"I would undo the seal"

"So you did seal it?"

"Yes"

Laxus knew there had to be another party involved, why else would a gold rose be on the floor. As far as Laxus knew, sealing magic was not something Ivan possessed. As a wizard, Ivan is nowhere near as talented as Makarov, or Laxus for that matter. It is possible that he just had someone within his guild do the seals. But the rose was the clue; it had to involve one of those women.

"I refuse to do anything until you unseal my magic power" Laxus states. He decides that if Ivan is seriously after this 'Lumen Histoire' then Ivan needs Laxus too, so there is something he can bargain with. There is also a tiny part of him deep within his heart that doesn't want to go against Fairy Tail.

"Good bye Laxus" Ivan growls, turning in his chair from his son.

Laxus clenches his fists angry with the response. "You're going to give up on this Lumen Histoire?"

"No boy. But there is no rush for me. I can find other ways. You were just a possibility, or to be more precise, a failed experiment"

Laxus snaps, "WHY YOU – "

Before Laxus can shout another word he is hit with Ivan's paper magic, and is sent crashing out the door, flying several meters along the floor of the main hall of the guild. This would not have bothered him before, but without magic his body ripples in pain, barely remaining conscious.

"Take him away. Dump him at the nearest town" Ivan orders a pair of guards. They scoop up the former wizard and walk him out of the guild hall.

* * *

Laxus spends a day bed-ridden in a hotel room in Hogan, the small town that the Raven Tail guards dropped him at. With his free time he searches through his blue book to figure out a plan to find the woman that stole everything from him.

His luck finding the woman who left the rose in Clover Town was no better than his visit to Raven Tail. Each time he'd locate one the women they'd either flip out in anger or break down crying. He couldn't figure out how they knew about his cheating on them. How did they know he had an extensive web of ladies at his disposal?

If things with the women weren't bad enough, he was also in some fiscal trouble as well; the cost of travel and accommodation burned a hole in his pocket. He only took a fraction of the jewel he had when he left Fairy Tail, leaving the majority of his cash in the safety of his home and he thought he'd be gone for maybe a month. Going back to Magnolia was considered briefly but he decided to find work instead.

Getting a job was as tough as losing his magic. Laxus found he vastly inexperienced in most things. Being a wizard was all he knew, and all he ever aspired to be. He got some work because of his physicality, but even then it was only temporary. There were always younger men who would take less money and had more experience.

Between the women he had hurt and the bosses he had, Laxus was mainly treated harshly by most of the people he came into contact with. His confidence, ego and self esteem all took a massive battering over his journey. He felt old, or at least beaten by the world. In his depression he began to drink. He would try to pick up women and found that without his swagger and status he was far less desirable by the fairer sex.

When he arrived in Winton he had 4 more women left to find. Taking a swig of his rum he wondered what was in store for him from the next golden rose recipient. Would she cry or get angry? He decided to get some more booze into him and entered the closest tavern.

Laxus sat at the bar and ordered 2 beers. He glanced around the joint, it was very busy, over 150 people in the bar. Laxus was trying to think if he'd been here before, but dismissed the thought when the two beer mugs were placed in front of him. He downed the two golden ales quickly and then reached into his pocket to pull out some jewel. When he came up empty the bartender kicked him out.

The second he was thrown out the door it started to rain. He was used to this level of misfortune. His drunkenness consumed him, so much that he was unaware of his surroundings, unaware that four men followed him from the tavern.

Laxus took an unguided turn down a dark alley, leaning against a wall to maintain balance. Then, in an instant, he was flung hard to the rocky ground.

"Ah, fuck" Laxus cried out as he skidded along the water logged pavement. He looked up to see four men which he could have sworn he'd seen before.

"Well, well, if it isn't the mighty Laxus Dreyar" Man number one speaks.

"Didn't think you'd wash up at our guild hall. You look like shit" says man number two.

Laxus doesn't reply, he tries to figure out who they are. A flash of fear whipped through him when the man said _our guild hall_ – these guys were wizards.

"What's wrong Laxus? No lightning? We heard about your loss, we're sorry to hear about it" the third man chuckles.

"You don't remember us do you? Take a good look at these faces! These are the last faces you'll see tonight!" threatens the fourth man.

Laxus gets to his feet with the intention to run but is hit with a punch to the stomach. The blonde man is unfazed, he might be without magic but he is still very strong physically. Laxus punches man number one, and blocks an attack from the third guy. Man number four grabs hold of Laxus, but he is able to manoeuvre out of the hold and punches the fourth man – knocking him to the floor.

"Enough with this shit" one of them shouts, launching a wind spell at Laxus; sending the blonde several metres in the air until he hits a wall. Laxus winces as he falls to the ground.

"Let's finish this" another says in a low but resolute manner. They encircle Laxus and ready their magic.

Laxus picks up his face from the soaked floor and observes the wizards with their powers on display. One man morphs part of his body into rock, another into metal. The wind mage forms swirling gusts around his arms, and the last wizard summons a hammer out of thin air – he must use requip magic. Without warning they lay into Laxus, using their magic to pummel him.

In the midst of the beating Laxus begins to remember the mages. Winton. There is a guild called Heavens Gate in this town – and that tavern he was just in is their guild hall. The top four wizards from Heavens Gate are these guys if Laxus recalls correctly. In their first encounter Laxus had just stolen a job from them, and then beat them down for speaking up to him. After that Laxus would torment them anytime he was in town.

Laxus' body aches in a way it never has before. It is truly broken. Rock, metal, wind and weapons assault the blonde. If one hits his leg, another gets his sternum, and another stomps his face. After what seems like hours, they leave Laxus, beaten beyond recognition in an alley near the Heavens Gate guild.

Laxus' state of mind is now mirrored by his body. He feels completely helpless. The hopelessness of his situation has him think life is not worth living. What does he have to live for? The pouring rain blankets his face, but even with the water coating him you see the tears emerge from his eyes. Frustration, anger, hurt and fear pours out of him as he cries loudly in the dark alley alone.

"Okay, okay" he cries to the raining skies. "I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry"

During his catharsis all the toxic emotions that have seeped into his bones over the years of living wickedly release from him. He recalls everyone he had hurt or mistreated. It's such a long list. Those women, other wizards, even his guild mates.

Fairy Tail. He regrets taking them for granted, and for ever thinking that he should take the guild over. He might have been a more powerful wizard but they were right, friendship and helping your comrades is the most important thing. Only after his suffering can he see this.

Mira's words ring loudly within him. 'The guild helped me through tough times'. 'Strength is about the power in your heart'. At the time Laxus thought very little of these words, in fact they insulted him. Now he understood them, they were very powerful words Mirajane spoke.

His consciousness wanes from the beating while he lies on the rocky road, blood and water swirl around him. With his negative emotions purged from him, he hopes that one day he can go back to his guild. See his grandfather, Freed, Bixlow, Evergreen, even Mirajane and the others that call Fairy Tail their home. _I'll be a better man_.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Going home**

"Hello, my name is Mirajane Strauss. I am here to pick up some medical supplies for Fairy Tail"

"Hello Mirajane. Yes, we have your supplies. Just give me a moment and I will fetch them for you"

Mirajane waits for a few minutes while the nurse gets the order.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Miss Strauss. Here are the herbal remedies in the blue container, and the ointments are in the red box. Be careful with those, the vials are fragile"

"Thank you very much. I just need to have this signed for my guild Master"

Mira hands over a piece of parchment - a proof of delivery form for the guild.

"Dreyar?" The nurse lady inquires.

"Yes. Makarov Dreyar is our Master. You might have heard of him, he is one of the ten wizard saints"

"Oh yes. I've heard of him, but there is another Dreyar in this hospital right now"

"Laxus?!"

"Yes"

"Where is he? Can I see him?" Mira commands.

"Yes, he is in the intensive care unit, but I am told he is fit to leave soon"

"Intensive care? Can you please show me where that is?"

The nurse nods, and picks up one of the containers to help Mira as they walk to Laxus' bed. When they enter the hospital room, Mira finds Laxus lying down in a relaxed state. The nurse puts down a box on the bedside table which alerts Laxus, and then the nurse leaves the room.

"Mira?" gulps a shocked Laxus.

"Hello Laxus"

"W-what are you doing here?"

"You first"

Laxus calms himself. When he saw her he could barely control the joy of seeing a friendly and familiar face. His feelings then became mixed with anxiousness, because of the way he treated her last.

"I got beat up pretty badly" he confesses.

"How badly?" Mira asked as she picks up the medical chart on the front of Laxus' bed.

"Well I've been around a month, but I will be discharged today I think"

Mira gasps while she looks at injury list - so many broken bones. "Are you coming back to Fairy Tail, Laxus?"

Laxus averts his eyes. In a downcast manner he struggles, "Mira. The last time we… I don't know how… I am so…"

"Laxus, look at me!" Mira demands and the blonde fixes his eyes to her. "I forgive you. But the important thing is you come home. Master is worried sick. Your team is not the same without you. Even people in the guild, who you never spoke to, they want you to come back"

Tears sting Laxus' eyes and he clenches his fists, and then he nods several times. "I'll come home. I want to go back, back to Fairy Tail"

The little barmaid smiles at the man. She sees a guy who has been broken but wants to fight on, wants to find a path for his life. It was like looking in the mirror a few months after Lisanna died. Even though Laxus had said terrible things to her, and manipulated all those women, she has to give him a second chance. It wasn't the Fairy Tail way to leave someone behind, and for Mira especially it feels like she was helping herself.

"Then it's settled Laxus! I can't wait to surprise everyone at the guild"

Laxus smiles genuinely for the first time in months.

* * *

Mira waits in the hospital lobby as Laxus is observed by a few doctors before he is discharged. She had just contacted Master Makarov to let him know Laxus will be returning. She laughed at him as he tried to remain composed and indifferent, but she could see the old man really wanted to jump for joy.

Laxus emerges from a consultation room after getting the all-clear from the docs.

"All set?"

"Yea"

"Great. Now here, you can hold this one". Mira hands Laxus a blue container full of medical herbs. "Let's go" she insists, and the pair leave the leave the hospital shortly after.

"Where are we going, Mira?"

"Back to the hotel, it's not far from here"

"When do we leave for Magnolia?"

"We missed the afternoon train so we'll get on the morning one"

Laxus nods. The pair walk in silence until they arrive at Mira's hotel. She opens the door to her room. It's small, one couch, one bed, a table and 2 chairs.

Mira advises Laxus to put down the container on floor near the door and she fixes them a cup of tea, and they both sit at the table.

"Sorry about the small room. I would have got a bigger one if I knew you were here"

"It fine Mira"

The fair-haired beauty takes a sip of her tea and looks at the blonde.

"Laxus, we have a lot to talk about. I just spoke to Master, and he asked me to inform you of a few things. Well… to be more precise, I said I could do it for him before you got back, so it's an easier transition"

Laxus looks at Mira attentively, "Okay"

"Master told everyone about your magic being sealed, and that you are a dragon slayer. I didn't know that"

"Yea he wanted to keep it a secret"

"That is what he told us too. And, Fairy Tail has been under attack recently" she says sadly.

"What?"

"We were attacked by Phantom Lord not too long ago. They destroyed our guild hall so we had to build another one. No one died but a few were badly injured. In the end we won. 2 of their members joined us – Gajeel Redfox and Juvia Lockser, both were S-Class wizards"

Laxus is thankful no one was hurt.

"Since the Phantom Lord incident there have also been attacks on Fairy Tail members while they are on missions. We don't think it is Phantom Lord because they are dissolved. However you should know this because you are a member of Fairy Tail. Master and I think you could have been targeted by these people"

"No. I knew the people who attacked me"

"Who were they? Why would they do that to you?"

"I bullied those guys that beat me up when I used to have my magic. They just wanted some payback"

"I see" Mira sighs. "Even so, they went overboard!" she remarks, crossing her arms. "Also Laxus, there is something else. It's going to be hard for me to tell you this"

Laxus guesses, "Does it involve women?"

Mira's eyes widen, "yes. How did you know?"

A remorseful Laxus replies, "I went to see them, and they all knew about my situation. I figured they went to the guild, they knew I was from Fairy Tail"

"You went to see them?" Mira asks in critical tone.

"Not for that Mira. I just went to see them"

"To apologise perhaps?"

"No, uh, for something else. Something personal"

Mira declines pushing things further. "All of them received a letter saying you weren't well"

"A letter?"

"Yes. A letter. After the first two women came Master began to tell the others who showed up that you had been playing around with multiple women. He couldn't hide something like that from them, it's just immoral"

"I'm sorry Mira" regrets Laxus.

"Honestly Laxus, I hope you are. Those women, they were hurt so much. It really took a toll on Master"

"I am sorry, for everything. And for bringing the guild to shame over this"

"Master kept it quiet. Only he and I know. They'd come to the bar asking for you and I would send them to Master's office, and he would have them leave through the back door"

Laxus nods. Too ashamed to answer.

"Well enough of that for now. We should get ready to go out for dinner. There is a nice little pub down the road" Mira says bubbly, attempting to brighten the mood.

"I am short of jewel at the moment, Mira"

"That's fine, it's my treat"

Laxus smiles, "okay. Sounds good"

"Alright! I'm going to get changed first" she says as she gets up and heads for the shower.

"Hey Mira"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, for telling me all of that. It couldn't have been easy for you, so thank you"

"No problem, Laxus".

Mira enters the showers with a change of clothes. It was hard for to speak on such matters, particularly the women. She was disgusted at Laxus' former activities. But now at least he seems different, willing to change. She smiles happily to herself as she turns runs the hot water, her heart has high hopes for Laxus.

* * *

The duo walks into the small pub near the hotel. Its cosy and only about a dozen people are in the establishment. A few of the men turn to check out Mirajane who is stunning as always. Tonight she wears a dark blue dress to match her sapphire necklace, a white ribbon around her waist and black heels. Laxus watches on as the little lady flashes a bright smile and waves at the interested males. They are seated by a waitress who hands the couple a menu.

"You must be starving Laxus after eating hospital food"

"You bet. A nice steak sounds good, maybe two since you're treating"

"I guess you can have two to celebrate"

"And toppers on both steaks. Garlic prawns"

"Okay Laxus you can have toppers too" Mira grants, rolling her eyes.

The blonde man smirks at Mira. He can't remember the last time he shared a meal with someone. The last time probably was when Mira would keep him company at the guild.

Mirajane signals to the waitress that they are ready to order and she orders 3 steaks with Laxus' toppers on all of them, as well as a jug of lemonade. The waitress tells Mira that the meal should be ready in 15 minutes.

"Hey Mirajane. What do you think I could do, you know, when I go back? Has the old man said anything?"

Mira is happy to see Laxus eager, and that he asked her for advice. "Well you could help him with paperwork. He is always looking for an assistant"

"Urgh. Paperwork. Is there anything more hands-on?"

Mira places her index finger to her chin as she deliberates Laxus' question. "You could help me" Mira offers as she tilts her head, beaming a wide smile and squeezing her eyelids shut in a cute way.

"A barmaid?"

"Well not a _barmaid._ A _barman_. Or bartender or barkeep"

"A barman? What does he do?"

"Take a look at the publican here" Mira suggests, gesturing to the man working at the bar. "He tends the bar, serving drinks and talking with the customers. It's what I do at the guild"

"That's it? Serve drinks?"

"Well that's not all you'd have to do silly. There's food to prepare and cook and serve. Cleaning the tables, bring back the glasses and dishes. Washing them up. Cleaning the kitchen. That's just the kitchen duties"

"There's more?"

"Yes I do an inventory of everything everyday. I make orders for things we need and receive them when they're delivered. And I help Master out with some of his responsibilities, mainly with incoming and outgoing messages, and the jobs board. And when little jobs like collecting medicines come up sometimes I do them too"

"That sounds like a lot"

"Yea it can be, particularly now as I don't have as many casual staff helping out. Master has advertised a permanent position"

"Really?"

"Ah huh. If you're interested tell him when we get back"

"I'll think about it. Not being a wizard, there's not much choice at a guild, is there?"

"Unfortunately no. I took up modelling as a side gig so I could travel a little"

"Well I ain't modelling" Laxus states flatly while Mira laughs at him.

"Here are you steaks" the waitress says as she places two plates on the table. The waitress looks around for the third person as she holds the third plate.

"The big guy is having two" Mira tells the waitress.

"Hungry are we?"

"Yea. Thank you"

"My pleasure handsome. Enjoy!"

Mira and Laxus dig into to their steaks.

"She called you handsome, guess you could model"

"There is no way I am modelling, period"

The eldest Strauss laughs again as Laxus grimaces at the thought of modelling. The two of them eat their meals which they both agree were cooked well. Mira pays the bill and they leave, hurrying back to the hotel due to the rain.

"It's rained every night I've been here"

"It was so sunny today"

"The days are nice, the nights are horrible". Images of water with his blood streaked through it spring to the blondes' mind.

They walk quickly down the sidewalk so they can get to bed, it's a big trip back in the morning.

A carriage speeds down the main street coming close to the curb. Laxus quickly comes in between Mira and the carriage as one of the wheels crashes in to a large puddle, splashing water all over Laxus.

"Damn maniac driving that fast down main street"

Mira stares at Laxus, who is now taking off his wet coat.

"What you staring at Mira?"

"Did you protect me, just now?"

"What?"

"From the water?"

"Ah, yea if you want to put it like that. But I'm protecting myself too"

"Huh?"

"Gramps would kick my ass if he found out. Men walk on the roadside"

Mira giggles at the man but she is impressed nonetheless. _That's the first time I've seen Laxus act like a gentlemen._

They get back to the hotel room and decide they should get some shut-eye before their morning train ride. Laxus bids Mira goodnight before he hits the shower to wash all the puddle water off him.

After his quick bath he puts on his boxers and a singlet, thinking his usual shirtless routine is not good etiquette with Mira in the room. He heads out of the bathroom to find the bed empty, so he searches the small hotel room to find Mira, who is trying to go to sleep on the couch. Laxus picks her up and walks to the bed.

"Laxus! What are you doing?"

"Carrying you to bed"

"Excuse me?" misunderstands Mira.

"Not like that. I am sleeping on the couch Mira"

"Put me down! I will have the couch" the little lady fights within the the hold of the blonde brute.

"No"

"You just came from the hospital"

"Yea they let me out, I am fine"

"Listen Laxus Dreyar! You put me down right this –"

He drops her… "As you wish"… on the bed. "Good night, Mirajane"

"Hmph!" Mira pouts after not getting her way.

When her mini-tantrum subsides she cracks a smile, he surprised her twice tonight with chivalrous acts. The little lady knows better than to trust a guy who's philandered to the extent Laxus did, he could just be acting out of habit - putting on a show to gain trust so he can exploit her later. She shakes her head, _Laxus is trying his best, he deserves the benefit of the doubt until otherwise_. _Besides, we might be co-workers from now on, so no use being too critical over a few kind gestures._

Mirajane sighs to suppress her thoughts and she falls to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N #2 - Thanks for reading. I got lazy and put the 2 chapters together, I won't do that again. Now I guess this is where the Miraxus part starts. It's going to be slow build in a way, so don't expect them to be making out next chapter. I hope to have another chapter out in a week. Thankyou, mynameiz.**


	5. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer #1: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Disclaimer #2: The art for my title pic is done by jxlight (tumblr)**

* * *

 **AU Timeline – Just before Oracion Seis Arc. Obviously there is no Battle of Fairy Tail in this AU (Mira didn't fight Freed).**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Home at last**

Master Makarov twirls the right half of his moustache as he sits on the bar at Fairy Tail. The old man is glad that his obnoxious grandson is coming home. _But I am not going to roll the red carpet out for the brat, he's gonna have to prove himself. I won't be easy on him!_

He breathes deeply as he looks around at the current crop of youngsters. _I need you to take care of these ones, Laxus. How can I ever retire if you don't wake up to yourself?_

The current generation of Fairy Tail keeps Makarov on his toes. They're fun to be around and a lively bunch and it makes the little Master feel young again. However his 'kids' need guidance, wrecking the guild hall, destroying buildings, getting in trouble with the Magic Council – he doesn't have enough hair on his head to get through the problems the kids can cause. He glances at the job board to see Natsu, probably the most stress-inducing wizard in the guild (second to Laxus).

The fire dragon shouts across the hall to his closest friend, "Lucy! Wanna do a mission?"

"Sure!" The pretty young blonde pipes up. "We can get in one more before Erza comes back at the end of the week"

"Why do you care about when Erza comes back?"

"Because we're a team! Erza, Gray, you and I"

"What about me?" pleads a little blue exceed.

"Sorry Happy, you too"

"Aye sir!"

"Why do we have to bring Gray. He sucks"

"What was that flame-bag?"

"You wanna go Ice queen?"

"Bring it!"

"Fire dragons -" "Ice make -"

"YOU BRATS CAST ONE SPELL AND YOU'LL BE FINISHED" growls Master Makarov, threatening to go into Titan form.

"Yes sir" the fire and ice duo shriek, holding onto each other for dear life.

The elder Dreyar calms down eventually and takes a seat at the bar.

"Master, is everything okay?" asks Lucy, who has noticed Makarov has been on edge all day.

"Don't worry my child" Makarov blushes with love hearts for eyes. "Just disciplining those two"

"Well without Erza around it falls to you"

"Yes unfortunately"

"Is Mira still away?" the celestial mage inquires as she scopes the bar.

"Yes but she'll be back soon. Very soon actually. That's why I don't want these brats wrecking the place, I don't want Mira to have to come back to a busted guild hall" Makarov says, trying to cover up his excitement for Laxus' return.

Lucy smiles at the little old man and peers over his shoulder to see Mira returning with a blonde man she has not seen before.

"Well Master it looks like Mira's back now"

Makarov turns abruptly. The guild quietens as they all see who walked in with Mirajane.

An astonished Freed gasps alerting the attention of his teammates, Bixlow and Evergreen, who begin to mirror Freed's shock. After a few moments they spring to life. "LAXUS!" the trio scream as they run at their leader and tackle the blonde man to the floor.

Even though the reaction of his team annoys him, Laxus ends up smiling and embraces the three bodies that pin him to the ground. "Hey guys"

"Laxus is this really you?" asks a very emotion Freed Justine.

"You'd be able to see him properly if you wiped your tears" quips Bixlow.

"It's me Freed. Sorry I've taken so long to come back"

"We missed you Laxus" says Evergreen. "We're so glad you're back"

"Alright you lot let the boy up" orders Makarov. The Thunder God tribe assist their leader to his feet and he now stands before his grandfather.

"Hey Gramps"

Makarov surveys Laxus. There's a small smile on the blonde that he hasn't seen for the longest time, it's a soft and warm smile. The old man did not miss the sincerity Laxus spoke with when greeting his team mates. And most importantly he is looking Makarov dead in the eye, something the old Laxus would not have done in the same position. His grandson has changed.

"Hello Laxus. It's good to have you home"

"Thanks Gramps"

The old man nods. "I am sure you have plenty of catching up to do, but when you have the time meet me in my office"

"Okay" replies Laxus, whose left arm gets a hug from Evergreen.

The majority of the guild members in the hall are apprehensive about approaching Laxus, given the blondes' past persona and that he's lost his magic. Laxus starts to become nervous; he knows that most of the people feel awkward about the situation. He tries to come up with the words to break the ice, but he fails. The Raijinshuu and Mirajane are also aware of the unease in the guild however they cannot find the right words to appease everyone. Makarov sighs as he watches from the top of the stairs.

In the midst of the stagnant atmosphere the fire dragon slayer emerges from the crowd. "Yo Laxus! It's been a while!"

Laxus looks at Natsu. He had bullied Natsu out of jealousy for not being a first generation dragon slayer. With the expectation of ridicule from the younger gentleman Laxus replies humbly, "Hello Natsu".

A smirk stretches across Salamanders' face. "Fight me, Laxus!" Natsu shouts enthusiastically.

The blonde sports a smirk to match the younger man's, realising Natsu wants to lend a helping hand. "So you want a piece of me?" Laxus says, holding out his right hand towards Natsu and gestures with his fingers to come to him. "Bring it!"

Mirajane and the Raijinshuu try to intercept Natsu as he lunges at Laxus with flames, fearful about what could happen to Laxus without any magic.

Evading all that get in front of him, Natsu hits Laxus with flame imbued fists that cause the larger man to skid across the floor of the guild.

"What the hell Natsu?!" screams a distressed Freed.

Mira and Evergreen gasp as they observe a fallen Laxus.

"You idiot!" Gray shouts at Natsu. "You know he can't use magic right?". The fire dragon slayer scoffs. Murmurs build around the guild hall as they wonder why Natsu just hit Laxus.

"Is that all you got?" Laxus challenges. "I thought you'd be stronger by now"

Natsu goes on the attack again and swings another flaming fist. This time Laxus evades the attack and counters with a left knee to Natsu's stomach, winning a groan from the younger man. Then Laxus hits Natsu with a right cross, sending the fire dragon slayer crashing into a table.

Sensing the comradery between the two men Gajeel decides to get in on the action. "Well this looks like a lot of fun" the iron studded man says as he punches Elfman.

The man of the Strauss family gets up from the floor to glare at Gajeel. "So you want to fight a man's fight?" the Take over wizard asks, before punching Gajeel into a group of bystanders. Gajeel gets up and punches the closest person to him who happens to knock into Cana, who spills her drink.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Cana yells and she throws an empty barrel at Gajeel who deflects the projectile at Gray.

With that an all-in melee ensues. Tables crashing, people punching and screaming, chairs thrown across the hall – _yep, I'm back at Fairy Tail_ Laxus thinks to himself.

The blonde walks over to the pink haired man he had just floored, holding out his hand to lift him up. "Thanks a lot Natsu. You really helped me out just now"

"No worries man" Natsu smiles widely. "Glad you're back"

"Glad to be back"

Natsu smirks again. "You still pack a punch", then he readies himself to fight. "But you're gonna need more than that to keep me down" and he punches Laxus.

"Ha. I've got plenty of fight in me" Laxus chuckles. The pair continues to fight and get absorbed into the all-in brawl.

Makarov watches on with a reverent smile, _maybe the damage to guild hall this time might be worth it_. He walks into his office with his smile intact with the sounds of breaking glass and spirited screams in the background.

When the melee begins to die down laughter and cheers spread throughout the main area of the guild. A half-battered Laxus joins in with the crowd and he is welcomed back by everyone. Any of the previous awkwardness or angst was burned away by Natsu's greeting flames.

Mirajane has been standing at the bar throughout the whole ordeal; she has no interest in hitting anybody or getting hit. Eventually she walks over to Laxus and she shakes her head at his untidy appearance.

"Did you really have to get into a fight straight away?" sighs a motherly Mirajane.

"Just a standard Fairy Tail 'hello', isn't it?"

Mira hums a laugh as she swats away some of the debris on Laxus' shirt. "Go sit at the bar and I'll fix you up"

Laxus obeys the little lady and takes a seat. Mira returns to him with a first aid kit and she places it on the bar. She spins Laxus' chair 90 degrees so that his left side is facing the bar, allowing Mira access to the front of the man. She moves in close enough to administer medical treatment to Laxus' face.

"You know Laxus, you can't keep fighting wizards" Mira advises while she applies a disinfecting herbal concoction to some gauze.

"I will stay out of it from now on" Laxus promises.

"Okay. It was nice of Natsu, huh?"

"Yea, I didn't think he had any brains"

"Well he doesn't" Mira chuckles. "Now, I am going to clean you up. So close your eyes"

Laxus shuts his eyes and relaxes. Mirjane then begins to wipe the blood and dirt from Laxus' face. She starts on his forehead, which is mostly unharmed and just a little dirty. Mira throws away the dirty gauze and fetches a clean one, and again she soaks the cloth in the disinfectant. Laxus has a small cut under his left eyebrow so Mira attends to it by gently pressing on the surface of the wound.

"Ow" yelps Laxus.

"Tsk, stop being a big baby"

The barmaid continues to softly treat the minor cut before moving to the blondes' nose. It isn't broken but it is bloodied. She replaces the gauze again and begins to clean his nostrils. After that she treats the cut on his bottom lip. The man winces one more as the alcohol in the medicine burns the exposed flesh. Mira rolls her eyes at the muscle-bound man whenever he jerks to her touch.

"All done"

Laxus opens his eyes to see a smiling Mirajane. "Thank you"

"You over being such a pussy now?"

"Very funny" Laxus returns sarcastically.

"We need to keep your face clean don't we handsome?"

"Huh?"

"Your modelling career!"

"You're still going on about that…"

"You've got potential, handsome" Mirajane says with a wink, earning a grunt from Laxus. Mira begins to pack up the first aid kit, and Laxus helps her by picking up the dirty cloth from the bar and giving it a quick clean. Mirajane thanks Laxus for helping clean the bar and tells the man as a reward she will let her modelling employers knows that he is keen for some work. The blonde calls the ivory an idiot and makes several other remarks under his breath.

On the opposite end of the bar Cana and Lucy have been watching the S-Class pair.

"Am I drunk or are Mira and Laxus flirting?"

"I don't know, it just looks like they're friends talking" says Lucy. "But you are probably drunk, Cana"

"As if I'd be drunk this early in the day Lucy" scoffs Cana before taking a large swig of her wine. "Anyway, they're flirting"

"Why? Mira's always nice to people"

"What were you watching? Mira was making little jokes and Laxus was acting all chummy. Defs flirting"

"Mira can be playful. And Laxus seems alright, and he wasn't being all chummy"

"Well you don't know Laxus, he more or less left when you got here. That over there is so _not_ Laxus" exaggerates Cana. The card-wizard can't even remember the last time he smiled in a friendly way, let alone chat amiably with someone outside the Raijinshuu.

The celestial mage sighs, and thinks about the male blonde for a moment. "He's been gone for a while hasn't he? So maybe he's changed"

"Well he does seem different" Cana concedes. "Still, there's something going on with those two. And to be honest Miss Heartfilia I thought you'd be seeing things my way"

"Why?"

"Coz that little innocent Mira always messes with you about how much you love Natsu"

Lucy blushes a dark shade of red, "I don't like Natsu in that way!"

"Whatever" Cana snorts. "But she does try to set you up with Natsu doesn't she?"

Lucy admits weakly, "yeah"

"Mira is like that with everyone. And no one ever gets to tease her because she keeps her private life _too_ private. So we've been given this golden opportunity to get back at her, don't you see?"

"I know what you mean Cana, but don't you think you're jumping the gun here? What if there's nothing going on?"

"Okay fine" Cana submits. "We'll just keep an eye on them for now"

Lucy and Cana aren't the only ones gawking at Mira and Laxus, the Raijinshuu were also observing. However their attention was not on the both of them, just one of them.

"Man it's so good to have the boss back" Bixlow happily confesses.

"Yes it is" says a smiling Evergreen. "He even traded blows with Natsu without any magic, and only has a few scratches to show for it"

"As expected of Laxus!" worships a teary Freed. He wipes away his tears, "I am so happy to see him, it's been so long"

"There, there" says Evergreen as she comforts the green-haired mage. "I think it's great that Laxus is able to be happy even without his magic"

"He's just that great of a man I tell you" an emotional Freed states proudly.

"Wonder where he is off to now?" Bix says while Laxus walking up stairs. "That's right, Master wanted to see him"

"Reckon he's pissed?"

"Who Laxus?"

"No. Master you idiot" Evergreen scolds, and she whacks Bixlow with her fan for good measure.

"I am sure they have a lot to talk about. Let's channel our best wishes to Laxus" suggests Freed. Bixlow and Evergreen sigh with pity at their team mate.

Makarov hears a heavy knock at the door and signals for the knocker to come in. It's his grandson as he assumed it would be, and the big blonde takes the seat in front of the old Master.

"So Gramps…"

"Yes, Laxus. It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yea"

"Did Mira fill you in on everything?"

"She did"

"Well no use bringing up that stuff then. Consider it forgiven. I take it you're aware of what would happen should you continue that game with those women right?"

"Yes. Expulsion"

"Good" Makarov nods.

"Hey old man. Mira tells me that there might be a position, full-time, to help her out. If it's still available I wouldn't mind giving it a go"

Makarov is taken aback by Laxus' request. The younger mans' eyes don't falter nor does he fidget in any way. "You're in good spirits, Laxus. You seem like a respectable person now" says Makarov with a hint of sarcasm when he said respectable.

"Whatever you reckon old man" Laxus replies blankly.

"I see that part of you hasn't changed" Makarov smirks thinking it was too good to be true for Laxus to be without some rebel in him. And he doubts the cockiness is gone too, his grand-kid just knows how to be humble now; which is good. "As for the job it's yours if you want it"

"Thanks Gramps. I won't let you down"

"It's not me you should be worried about. It's Mirajane" Master states while his face is visibly gripped with fear. "She might have the sweetest smile in all of Fiore but she's still the demon in the kitchen. She nearly killed me when I smoked my pipe around the food she was preparing". Makarov then realises it could be a catastrophe with Laxus and Mira together, knowing his grandson he'll be too stubborn to be scared.

"No kidding?" Laxus asks with a chuckle.

"Nope. Maki and Juvia have been helping out and they get scared of Mira from time to time".

Laxus erupts with laughter.

"I'll remember that boy when you come running!"

Laxus continues to laugh. He just couldn't imagine Mirajane flipping out over a few little things done wrong in the kitchen.

"Onto something serious, Laxus. The attacks on Fairy Tail, they are a real concern. They haven't got serious yet but being targeted at any level is bad enough"

Laxus eyebrows furrow, "Gramps, it could be Ivan" he murmurs watching his grandfather's face squint at the mention of his son. "I went to see him because he probably had something to do with my magic being sealed"

"Well if that's the case I am going right now to handle that brat"

"No Gramps, there's more to my magic's sealing than that shitty old man"

"Well if you know what it is Laxus then what's stopping you?"

"I will deal with that in good time, old man. But he, Ivan, mentioned something about Lumen Histoire and –"

"What?! What did he say?"

"He wanted me to get information on it in exchange for undoing the seal"

"That kid will be the death of me" Makarov whines. "Laxus! Don't utter a word of this to anyone"

"I won't. Just thought you should know. Maybe he is the one behind the attacks?"

"He could be. I do have a way of getting information about Ivan, so I will dig up what I can"

A sudden knock at the door ends the Dreyar's discussion. In walks in Mirajane.

"Hi Master, just letting you know I've sent the medical supplies down to Porlyusica"

"Oh thank you my dear" cheers Makarov, _thank goodness I don't have to deal with that old woman_. "And Mira, about that assistant job, would Laxus be okay?"

"If Laxus wants the job, I am okay with it" the beautiful woman answers with her signature smile.

"Very well. Laxus! You do as she tells you now"

"Okay" Laxus replies to his gramps, and then turns to Mira, "I guess I'll be working for you now"

Mira's face hardens and darkens to evoke fear in both Dreyar's present. "You guess?" she seethes through her teeth.

"Ah... um..." stutters Laxus. He pans dumbfoundedly to his grandfather who is equally as distraught, but the elder gives the junior a dismissing look as if to say 'don't involve me you idiot'.

Mirajane tilts her head back to look down on Laxus with superiority. "Listen, Laxus. You come tomorrow with a serious attitude or don't come at all! There'll be no 'guessing' in my kitchen"

Laxus' takes a second to pick his jaw up off the floor, "ah... okay ma'am"

Mira's aura cools soon after, and before she departs she dons her trademark smile once more, "see you two later, Master, Laxus!" and she leaves the office, closing the door behind her.

After Laxus is sure Mira is far enough away he looks to his grandfather, "what the fuck was that?"

Makarov snaps out of his stupor and begins to chuckle at the younger man, "looks like you're going be working with the demon"

The gobsmacked blonde grunts at his grandfather. _How can that woman have such split personalities? I'd get it if it were a take-over, but fuck, that was her - Mirajane! I'm sure I've seen her in the kitchen before and she hasn't been like that!_ Laxus sits in the chair hoping that what he just witnessed was an aberration.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile at Raven Tail…**_

"Ha ha ha" laughs a wicked Ivan. "I always thought you'd start a war with Fairy Tail. Attacking the little fairies on missions piss off the old fool"

An eerie voice replies, "I won't rest until I see that Makarov bow before me"

"Oh, he's not gonna go down easy" warns Ivan, but then smirks at the other man. "I will give you information on them, in exchange you will have to return information about Lumen Histoire, got it?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself Ivan. I might be in a wheelchair right now but my magic grows stronger by the day, and I've got enough troops at my disposal. In time I won't need your assistance!"

"Yes but for now you do. So, what information do you want, Master Jose?"

* * *

 **A/N - Thanks for reading! And Master Jose is from the former Phantom Lord.**


End file.
